Character reassures parents on Squishies safety

Character Options has issued a statement to reiterate its commitment to safety following reports that one of the company's Soft n' Slo Squishies foam collectables burst.

A story first reported in the Trinity Mirror and The Mirror suggests a nine-year-old girl was left with what her mother called a "chemical burn" after her foam-filled Squishie apparently "burst" one morning.

Character Options, which it distributes the hugely popular collectable in the UK, said in the statementthat "the safety of consumers is always the top priority and we have therefore looked into this matter without delay".

Steve Tull, the firm's Quality Assurance Director, added: "We believe that this Soft’n Slo Squishies toy has been heated in some way causing the inner foam to melt and the toy to burst. Soft’n Slo Squishies absolutely cannot burst in this way whilst simply playing with them; it is physically impossible in the way they are manufactured unless the foam is heated.

“Unfortunately, there has been an uplift online and on social media of toys being abused and often irresponsibly heated and microwaved to see what the outcome is," he said. “We reiterate that the brand of Soft’n Slo Squishies should be played with responsibly and away from any naked flames or heated elements.

“It would be our next steps to be able to examine the product that has caused this injury so that we can verify that this is the case. We are hoping therefore that the customer in the article will contact us in order for us to do this.”

In the meantime, anyone with safety concerns about the product can contact the Character Options Customer Services team on 0161 633 9800.